The latest family to call Dallas home isn't being welcomed with open arms as long-term residents blame the coyotes for the disappearance of several cats and the death of at least one dog.

Faye Nash saw the coyotes - who are believed to live in a field on the 600 block of Dallas Drive - while walking her dog on Sunday morning.

And it wasn't the first time she's encountered the family of four or five, she said.

Nash told The Daily News she's thrown rocks at the animals in an effort to scare them off. She said the coyotes stood their ground and stared at her.

"They are quite brazen," said Nash. "You can't scare them off."

Throughout the neighbourhood there are posters taped to signs and poles for missing cats. Nash doesn't know how many are unaccounted for.

"But there's cats missing like crazy," she said.

Dallas Drive resident Bill Kermode's dog was killed by one of the coyotes a couple of weeks ago. He let the dog out at 4:30 a.m. and went inside for a moment when the animal attacked.

Kermode has a tiered backyard and left the small dog - a bichon fries - on the top tier. When he looked out the kitchen window, the dog was gone, he said.

"I go to the door and look out and call and right where the stairwell is, up jumps this coyote," said Kermode.

He let out a yell and ran to the dog's aid. The pet didn't survive the attack, he said.

"It was quite traumatic."

Kermode and his wife, Ann, have called Dallas home for 12 years. While there have been coyotes before, this is the first time he's encountered one in his yard.

"This is the first time the coyotes have been a nuisance," he said.

Kermode phoned conservation officers, who have been sympathetic, but he said there's nothing they can do now.

Nash said something must be done. She doesn't want the animals hurt, but she does want them to go away.

Dallas resident Claudette Laffey believes people need to be reasonable. She's lived in the neighbourhood almost 30 years and has watched all manner of deer, bears and critters pass through.

She said Dallas isn't downtown Kamloops, and residents need to realize coyotes are hunting to survive. She recommends people keep their cats inside and their dogs on a leash when out for a walk.

"They don't know it's your cat or your backyard," said Laffey. "The wild is full of animals and we need to coexist."